BY Bert te FSIS 


Bulletin No. 61. M. M. LEIGHTON Janusry 22 


139 65 /y: COMMONWE.LLTH OF PENNSYLVANIA 
Gut 6 —-— 


DEPLRIMENT OF INTERUAL APPATRS 
James FP, \ioodward, Setretary 








——— 


- BURELU OF TOPOGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
George H, Ashley, State Geolegiss 


ee eee tarts) 
er a a eS ee Se ee 


‘ | | MAGNETITE IN PENNSYLVANIA 
BY 


J, Ross Corbin 


Importance 2S on ore: In Pennsylvania the yearly production of 
magnetite is greater thzn that of 211 other iron ores combined, Each 
year since 1912 magnetite hrs constituted over 90 per cent of all the 








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year ee i 7 by ipa : | si 

Pennsylvania iron Rtas Pivys) | 
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ff “A00,0064 | 
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ie 200 ,000 - Ae | | 
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aie te baork) of yearly production of magnetite to 
tal yoarly pecercec ap of all iron ores in Penn- 
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At i She G were (DUMe Pieper du ro-th)) frud, 


iron ore mined in Pennsylvanic; ond since 1889 i 5 never been less 
than 55 per cent. Macnetite prodrction his voried from less than 
300,000 tons to more then 800,000 tons per yerr, sel ¥ on mirket 
concitions. Details of these vnrintions 2re shown in the dingrans on 
the preceding pege, the dain for which were taken from Mineral 
Resources oz the Unitec state Ss ia OM thes Bureau of Statistics and 
Intorm:tion, Department of Internal .ffairs, Comonweolth of Pennsyl- 


Pens. nd fron Other sources. 


seononic © Conditioc liany of the maenetite ore bodies are massive ‘ 
and cont2in fron S100, DOG wio L000 OOO or more tone of ore, . Usunlly, 
Pecessive Water 16 not’ encountered in mining overctions. Becruse of 
the srect difference in specific crevity between magnetite and the 
Beugue minerals, and of the peculicr m-gnetic proverties of eS Pees 
am ore of poor quality can readily be beneficiated and a seperation 
of megnetite fron other heavy minerrls ean be mde, Phosphorus, ue 
present in ~ g.ugue mineral, ean be grectlr reduced and sometimes 
eliminited. The sulphur can be slmost entirely removed by proper 
Sintering, leavine * product which somewh=t resembles coke in 
appesreance ind is hard, “tough, and porous. By »wroper control of the 
processes virious grades of product c1n be made, For these rexsons 
magnetite forms a very important class of Pennsylvania iron ores. 


, 


-Lthough minernrlogicrlly alike, the ore bodies can be Givided 


into two srouvs or trnes br their difference in moce of oceurzence,s 
meccing Hills tye: Georicphicslly, metnetite ore has been found 


Biyarious places in the 7yurham ane %ec¢in= Sills, from Reading 
northerstwird in serie, Lenigh, Northampton and Bucks counties to the 
Delawnre, ‘The ain ois vor kings in this aren are those of the Abszlon 
Beitler mine neor Predericksville, he mines at Rittenhouse ‘Gap, 


(near 3iesholtaville) those just north st Vere Uruz Station, 2né 
those near Durham Furnece (nesr Riecelsvil Lle}i Others of this eres 


are at-Shimersville; 14 niles southeast of Bethlehem; near Spring 
Valley, Barto, near Shanesville, and near Pricetown, 


These occurrences resemble ech other in tnet the mognetite is 
in the vre-Cambrian gneisses which form the hills. The mrgnetite is 
both massive and disseminated. In some ensesS the massive forms end 
abruptiy, as if faulted; in other places the ore becomes leaner by 
greater cispersion of the magnetite as grains in the gneiss, Nort 
infrequently parallel "veins" or "beds" are found, and some veins or 
beds appear to branch. Becnuse of these resemblances the deposits 
are grouped together and referred to 2s the Rending Hills type. 


ALl of the rich ore of this type ‘exposed at the surface was 
mined many years ago. With depth, mining beenme more difficult and 
expensive, and finally the mines were sbandoned. Since the sbandon- 
ment of these mines great progress has been made in the arts of 
mining and concentration (ore-beneficistion) 2nd beeause of these 
advances some deposits which fornmcrly were unprofitable are now 
regarded 2S ore or possible orée 
Cornwall Type: Deposits of another type occur -t Boyertown, Fritz 
island, Pritztown, in southern Berks and northern Chester counties, 


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(mined at St.’Peters) at Cornwall (Lebanon County), near Dillsburg 
(York County), and near Coashtorm (Adams County). 
trait of these deposits is the presence of limestone (or limey shale) 


and dinbase (an igneous rock). 
group is at Cornwall, 


The distinguishing 


Because the largest producer in this 
these deposits are known 2s the Cormwall type. 


Strangely, the neighboring states do not contnin sinilsr deposits, 


Although deposits of the Cormwnoll type were formed under simil-r 


geologic conditions, the ore-bodiss are not entirely similsr. 


The 


Ore May be firm, hard, and massive, it may be orystalline, or it may 


be soft and earthy, 
to the presence of pyrite, 


The sulphur content of these ores is high, owing 
This does not now form the obstacle it 


once did, however, for such sulphur can ensily be removed by mechan- 


ical devices and by sintering. 


The small quantity of copper 


“accompanying ores of the Cornwall type can be pirtislly recovered, 
thus forming a valuable by-product. 


The following analyses from Minera 
states and from reports of the Second Geological Survey of Pennsyl- 
vania show the composition of both types of these ores: 


Iron 
Manganese 
Copper 
Sulphur 
Phosphorus 
Alumina 
Lime 
Magnesia 
Silica 


Insoluble Residue 
Titanic Acid 


Se inaeebeneetl 


Iron 
Manganese 
Copper 
Sulphur 
Phosphorus 
«Lumina 
Lime 
Magnesi2 
Silica 


1. 


4.77 025 


0,06 
2,80 
1,40 
2e8l 
12.90 


51,050 
igo 
0.295 
i a 
0,010 
1.298 
24040 
63616 

11,4560 


analyses of magnetite in 


ar 3, 
2.750 42.700 
0,936 7,997 
0,040 Oia 
Ge hou). SyOtn 
0,090 0,040 
0.400 1,502 
DOOkw La, SOS 
3,930 re 

ow 9, 
48,800 46,400 
OS057 77 One o8 
Leauy 0,050 
0.018 0,923 
27315 aa RS 
AY 3S0)1 2.560 
B.D Oe AM ES ts 
12.940 18,040 


Rae 


Resources of the United 


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ennsyivania. 
A, Bi 
64,900 57,050 
0,158 0,064 
0,005 0,447 
OG, O7d 2068 31. 
0,014 0,007 
ip BRbe > dod. 
O16!) BL 740 
LLL yo ee2e 
3,980 8,650 
10. pl 
41,900 42475 
0,194 +=- 
O09 -——- 
0.428 0,59 
0.019 0,02 
4,970 ) 
2,810 ) 11.45 
Teer) 
£20,910 ) 22,10 


Oe 


51,450 
OIE 
0.559 
20459 
O.O1O 
1,080 
2600 
6.652 

12,270 


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Tron 46.57. 89.60 ' 43.00. 38,05 45,40 34.55 
Manganese ~=- 0.83 ae 0.42 0.01 Oued 
Copper --- 0,12 0,59 0,56 0,Cl em h 
Sulphur 1,38 1,94 0,53 rine! 0.43 1.64 
Phosphorus 0,020 0,06 0,02 0,04 0,09 OS 
-lunina ) ) ) ) ) 

Lime ema Se 1 pLo,eo p> Lees) Le ydo »)' 22.58 
Magnesin ) ) ) ) ) 

Silie> er) se eeO TAO in Gul SoA 1S PL Bi, 


ts Siesholtzville, Berks County, Mineral Resources of the United 
States, 1886 


ee Seitler's mine, Rocklnnd Two., Berks Co., Second Pennsylvanis 
Geological Survey, MM p. 229 


3, Clymer Iron Co's. ore on Cornmen's farn; 23 mi. NE of Pricetown, 
second Pennsylvani2 Geological Survey, Mi p. 229 


4. Cornwall, 115 pieces of Nigger-henrd ore from Middle hill 
5, Cornwall, “No, 3 ore" from east face of Middle hill 


6. Cornwall, fine or soft No. 3 ore from west cut, north side, 

Middle hill 
7, Cornwall, fine or soft No. 3 ore from west cut, south side, 
Middle hill 


8, Cornwall, "No, 1 ore" from east face of Middle hill 


9. Cornwall; Fix or Wash ore, near engine house, base of Big hill; 
sample, 25 pounds 


10, Cornwall, "No, 1 light ore” from west cut, south face, Middle hill 

Samples 4-10 were dried at 212° I'.+ before analysis. 
(Analyses 4-10 from Second Penna, Survey, Ann. Rot. 1885, pp 552-533) 
ti, iA, Uncerwood's mine, Dillsburg. 


jz. Jones mine, Joanna, Berks County, Mineral Resources of the United 
States, 1887 


Raye u 17 " W W 1 1$ 


14, ‘sheatfield mine, Berxs County 


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Lwoteeue Mine, Herding, slope Noy 2, 
16. 25 pounds from Isiend mine, Reading 


17. Birck ore, 163 pieces, from \iarwick mine, Boyertown, Berks 
County. 


18, "“Slue ore," 20 pounds, from Phoenix mines, Boyertown, 


(Analyses 11, 14-18 from Second Pennsylvanin Survey innu.l Revort 
sees 9) D7) ¢ 


Discoveries and Maenstic Instruments: Those bodies of magnetite 
Which showed at the surf.ce were imown to‘the early settlers. ‘The 
Cornwall deposits were kmovm in 1732 (snd, incidentally, these are the 
Oldest mines which have been continuous sly worked in America). The 
deposits 2t Boyertown were discovered in diggine the foundntion for a 
house, 2nd by similar accidents other deposits were developed. The 
use of the dip-needle was tried at various places with virving success. 
To some deposits (such. as those nt Dillsburg) the dip-needle was 
particularly suited, and several discoveries .re reported as being due 
to its use. However, compared to instruments such as the magnetometer 
which have been devised in recent years, the dip-needle is a erude and 
unrelic sie instrument which exhibits many cppnrrent eceentricities, 

The magnetometer and similar instruments are very sensitive to 
Magnetic forces and have been used with morked success in many places, 
moO Sensitive ore these instruments that they are perceptarbly arfectcd 
by the electromagnetic storms on the sun, The correct use of these 
instruments therefore demends simultaneous rerdings 2t "control" 
Stations. 


‘It is belicved that many sauare miles in southenstern Pennsylvania 
aiford f.vorable geological conditions for the formation of magnetite 
deposits, Such 28s may exist hive nowt yet been discovered becuse they 
do not outcrop or are not very close to the suz Tace, This. Survey has 
coneeived the idea of making 2 detriled CAS Soe surrey of 
Wronising arens for the purpose of de tornining as accurately 2s possible 
the presence or absence of lnrgee magnetize ES ae The cooperation 
Mewes U,. Oo. Corst and Ccodetiec Survey has been mssured in such work. 
The U. 3. Const 2nd Geodetic Survey hrs estrzblished perniancnt strtions 
which it would re-occupy durin? such *% survey. 


The proposed investiesntion would brine results of creat value to 
the’ State, to the industry, to the commwnitics near which cnd to the 
owners of the land under which the deposits sce PUL 6 However, work alone 
this line must be deferred for the present beenuse of Inek of funds, 


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